Identification tag reader system

ABSTRACT

A reader system for reading information on at least one identification tag associated with a syringe connected to a fluid injector has a detector and a background screen spaced apart from the detector such that at least one of the at least one identification tags is positioned in an optical path between the detector and the background screen when the syringe is connected to the fluid injector. The reader system further has an illumination system configured for illuminating at least a portion of the background screen. The detector is configured for detecting and decoding the at least one identification tag. Methods for reading information on at least one identification tag associated with a syringe are also described.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a Continuation of U.S. application Ser. No.16/479,986, filed Jul. 23, 2019, which is a 371 national phaseapplication under 35 U.S.C. § 371 of PCT International Application No.PCT/US2018/019190, filed Feb. 22, 2018, and claims priority to U.S.Provisional Application No. 62/464,655, filed Feb. 28, 2017, thedisclosures of which are incorporated by reference herein in theirentirety.

BACKGROUND OF THE DISCLOSURE Field of the Disclosure

The present disclosure relates generally to a reader system configuredfor reading an identification tag. The reader system may be configuredto assist reading an identification tag associated with a transparent ortranslucent surface. For example, the reader system may be associatedwith the fluid injector and configured to read an identification tagprovided on a transparent or translucent surface of a syringe.

Description of Related Art

In the medical field, it is desirable to identify at least one propertyof a syringe and/or the fluid within the syringe. For example,information relating to the volume of the syringe and the type of fluidwithin the syringe may be useful in determining the volume of fluid thatcan be delivered, and the pressure and flow rate at which the fluid canbe delivered using a fluid injector. In some examples, informationrelating to at least one property of the syringe and/or the fluid withinthe syringe can be encoded in the barcode that is provided on thesyringe. Information encoded into the barcode can be scanned and sent tothe fluid injector for controlling at least one example of the fluiddelivery procedure.

Barcode readers, for example for reading standard barcodes and QuickResponse (Q-R) codes, are used in numerous commercial applications.Typically, barcodes are printed or otherwise attached to an opaquesurface of the barcoded product. As such, these barcodes are welldefined against an opaque background and may be easily read by thebarcode scanner. Visual contrast between the darkened regions andlighter background is particularly suitable for detecting the featuresof the barcode using the barcode scanner. However, differentiatingbetween patterns of a barcode printed directly on a transparent ortranslucent material, such as when a barcode is provided on atransparent syringe, may not provide the contrast necessary for readilydifferentiating the features of the barcode.

While there exist several barcode reader systems, improved barcodereader systems and methods for reading barcodes from syringes and otherbarcoded products having a barcode applied on a transparent or atranslucent surface continue to be in demand There is a need in the artfor improving the visibility of the barcode on the syringe and otherbarcoded products having a barcode applied on a transparent or atranslucent surface such that the barcode can be reliably andconsistently read by the barcode reader system.

SUMMARY OF DISCLOSURE

In some examples, a reader system for reading information on at leastone identification tag associated with a transparent surface, such as asyringe connected to a fluid injector, may have a detector and abackground screen spaced apart from the detector such that at least oneof the at least one identification tags is positioned in an optical pathbetween the detector and the background screen, for example when thesyringe is connected to the fluid injector. The reader system furthermay have an illumination system configured for illuminating at least aportion of the background screen. The detector may be configured fordetecting the at least one identification tag on a backdrop defined byat least a portion of the background screen illuminated by theillumination system.

In some examples, the reader system may have a housing and a frame forenclosing the detector and the illumination system. The backgroundscreen may be spaced apart from the frame such that at least a portionof the syringe having the at least one identification tag is inserted ina space between the background screen and the frame when the syringe isconnected to the fluid injector. The background screen may have apainted surface and/or a textured surface. The background screen may becurved. The background screen may be a light pipe. The detector may bepositioned radially offset relative to the at least one identificationtag such that the at least one identification tag is within a field ofview of the detector. The detector may be positioned such that the atleast one identification tag is outside a field of view of the detectorand wherein one or more reflective elements are disposed between thedetector and the at least one identification tag to define an opticalpath therebetween. The one or more reflective elements may be a mirror.The mirror may be flat, convex, or concave. The one or more reflectiveelements may be positioned in the optical path at about a 45° angle. Theillumination system may have a plurality of light modules. The pluralityof light modules may have uniform or non-uniform spacing therebetween.At least one of the plurality of light modules may be a light emittingdiode. The detector may be a digital camera having a lens. The readersystem may be provided inside a housing of the fluid injector and isoperatively connected to a control mechanism of the fluid injector.

In other examples, a reader system may be provided for readinginformation on at least one identification tag associated with a syringeconnected to a fluid injector. The reader system may have a detector, abackground screen spaced apart from the detector such that at least aportion of the syringe having the at least one identification tag isinserted in a space between the background screen and the detector whenthe syringe is connected to the fluid injector. The reader system mayfurther have one or more reflective elements disposed between thedetector and the at least one identification tag to define an opticalpath therebetween. The reader system may further have an illuminationsystem configured for illuminating at least a portion of the backgroundscreen. The detector may be configured for detecting the at least oneidentification tag against a backdrop defined by the background screenilluminated by the illumination system. The background screen may be alight pipe. The one or more reflective elements may be a mirror.

Various examples of the present disclosure may be further characterizedby one or more of the following clauses:

Clause 1. A reader system for reading information on at least oneidentification tag associated with a syringe connected to a fluidinjector, the reader system comprising: a detector; a background screenspaced apart from the detector such that at least one of the at leastone identification tags is positioned in an optical path between thedetector and the background screen when the syringe is connected to thefluid injector; and an illumination system configured for illuminatingat least a portion of the background screen, wherein the detector isconfigured for detecting the at least one identification tag on abackdrop defined by at least a portion of the background screenilluminated by the illumination system.

Clause 2. The reader system of clause 1, further comprising a housingand a frame for enclosing the detector and the illumination system.

Clause 3. The reader system of clause 2, wherein the background screenis spaced apart from the frame such that at least a portion of thesyringe having the at least one identification tag is insertable in aspace between the background screen and the frame.

Clause 4. The reader system of any of clauses 1-3, wherein at least aportion of the background screen has a painted surface.

Clause 5. The reader system of any of clauses 1-4, wherein at least aportion of the background screen has a textured surface.

Clause 6. The reader system of any of clauses 1-5, wherein at least aportion of the background screen is curved.

Clause 7. The reader system of any of clauses 1-6, wherein at least aportion of the background screen is a light pipe.

Clause 8. The reader system of any of clauses 1-7, wherein the detectoris positioned radially offset relative to the at least oneidentification tag such that the at least one identification tag iswithin a field of view of the detector.

Clause 9. The reader system of any of clauses 1-8, wherein the detectoris positioned such that the at least one identification tag is outside afield of view of the detector and wherein one or more reflectiveelements are disposed between the detector and the at least oneidentification tag to define an optical path therebetween.

Clause 10. The reader system of clause 9, wherein the one or morereflective elements is a mirror.

Clause 11. The reader system of clause 10, wherein the mirror is flat,convex, or concave.

Clause 12. The reader system of clause 9, wherein the one or morereflective elements are positioned in the optical path at about a 45°angle.

Clause 13. The reader system of any of clauses 1-12, wherein theillumination system comprises a plurality of light modules.

Clause 14. The reader system of clause 13, wherein the plurality oflight modules have uniform or non-uniform spacing therebetween.

Clause 15. The reader system of clause 13, wherein at least one of theplurality of light modules is a light emitting diode.

Clause 16. The reader system of any of clauses 1-15, wherein thedetector comprises a digital camera having a lens.

Clause 17. The reader system of any of clauses 1-16, wherein the readersystem is provided inside a housing of the fluid injector and isoperatively connected to a control mechanism of the fluid injector.

Clause 18. A reader system for reading information on at least oneidentification tag associated with a syringe connected to a fluidinjector, the reader system comprising: a detector; a background screenspaced apart from the detector such that at least a portion of thesyringe having the at least one identification tag is insertable in aspace between the background screen and the detector when the syringe isconnected to the fluid injector; one or more reflective elementsdisposed between the detector and the at least one identification tag todefine an optical path therebetween; and an illumination systemconfigured for illuminating at least a portion of the background screen,wherein the detector is configured for detecting the at least oneidentification tag against a backdrop defined by the background screenilluminated by the illumination system.

Clause 19. The reader system of clause 18, wherein the background screenis a light pipe.

Clause 20. The reader system of clause 18 or 19, wherein the one or morereflective elements is a mirror.

Further details and advantages of the various examples described indetail herein will become clear upon reviewing the following detaileddescription in conjunction with the accompanying drawing figures.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a top perspective view of a reader system including a fluidinjector and at least one syringe according to an example of the presentdisclosure;

FIG. 2 is a side cross-sectional view of a syringe according to oneexample of the present disclosure;

FIG. 3A is a perspective view of a proximal end of a syringe having anidentification tag according to one example of the present disclosure;

FIG. 3B is a detailed, top cross-sectional view of a proximal end of asyringe having an identification tag in accordance with another exampleof the present disclosure;

FIG. 3C is a detailed, top cross-sectional view of a proximal end of asyringe having an identification tag in accordance with another exampleof the present disclosure;

FIG. 4A is a perspective view of the syringe shown in FIG. 3A along witha reader system for reading the identification tag in accordance withone example of the present disclosure;

FIG. 4B is a perspective view of the syringe shown in FIG. 3A along witha reader system for reading the identification tag in accordance withanother example of the present disclosure;

FIG. 5 is a schematic illustration of a syringe having an identificationtag and an identification tag reader system in accordance with oneexample of the present disclosure;

FIG. 6 is a perspective cross-sectional view of a syringe having anidentification tag connected to a fluid injector having anidentification tag reader system in accordance with one example of thepresent disclosure;

FIG. 7A is a perspective view of a syringe identification module inaccordance with one example of the present disclosure;

FIG. 7B is a cross-sectional view of the syringe identification moduleshown in FIG. 7A;

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of a frame and a light pipe of the syringeidentification module shown in FIG. 7A;

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of a lighting module of the syringeidentification module shown in FIG. 7A;

FIG. 10 is a perspective cross-sectional view of syringe identificationmodule and a syringe having an identification tag;

FIG. 11 is a side cross-sectional view of a lighting pattern projectedon a light pipe by a lighting module of a syringe identification module;

FIGS. 12A-12B are views of a lighting pattern projected by a lightingmodule of the syringe identification module shown in FIG. 7A;

FIG. 13 is a side cross-sectional view of a background screen andillumination system in accordance with another example; and

FIGS. 14A-14C show an identification tag read by a syringeidentification module with various levels or types of illumination. FIG.14A illustrates an embodiment with no illumination of the backgroundscreen. FIG. 14B illustrates an embodiment where the light source isspaced radially away from the syringe surface adjacent to the detector.FIG. 14C illustrates an embodiment where the background screen isilluminated.

In FIGS. 1-14C, like characters refer to the same components andelements, as the case may be, unless otherwise stated.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The illustrations generally show preferred and non-limiting examples ofthe systems and methods of the present disclosure. The followingdescription is provided to enable those skilled in the art to make anduse the described examples contemplated for carrying out the disclosure.While the description presents various examples of the devices, itshould not be interpreted in any way as limiting the disclosure. Variousmodifications, equivalents, variations, and alternatives, however, willremain readily apparent to those skilled in the art. Any and all suchmodifications, variations, equivalents, and alternatives are intended tofall within the spirit and scope of the present disclosure.

For purposes of the description hereinafter, the terms “upper”, “lower”,“right”, “left”, “vertical”, “horizontal”, “top”, “bottom”, “lateral”,“longitudinal”, and derivatives thereof shall relate to the disclosureas it is oriented in the drawing figures.

As used in the specification and the claims, the singular form of “a”,“an”, and “the” include plural referents unless the context clearlydictates otherwise.

Spatial or directional terms, such as “left”, “right”, “inner”, “outer”,“above”, “below”, and the like, are not to be considered as limiting asthe invention can assume various alternative orientations.

All numbers used in the specification and claims are to be understood asbeing modified in all instances by the term “about”. The term “about”means a range of plus or minus ten percent of the stated value.

Unless otherwise indicated, all ranges or ratios disclosed herein are tobe understood to encompass any and all subranges or subratios subsumedtherein. For example, a stated range or ratio of “1 to 10” should beconsidered to include any and all subranges between (and inclusive of)the minimum value of 1 and the maximum value of 10; that is, allsubranges or subratios beginning with a minimum value of 1 or more andending with a maximum value of 10 or less, such as but not limited to, 1to 6.1, 3.5 to 7.8, and 5.5 to 10.

The terms “first”, “second”, and the like are not intended to refer toany particular order or chronology, but instead refer to differentconditions, properties, or elements.

All documents referred to herein are “incorporated by reference” intheir entirety.

The term “at least” means “greater than or equal to.” The term “notgreater than” means “less than or equal to.”

The term “includes” is synonymous with “comprises”.

When used in relation to a syringe, the term “proximal” refers to aportion of a syringe nearest to an injector when a syringe is orientedfor connecting to an injector. The term “distal” refers to a portion ofa syringe farthest away from an injector when a syringe is oriented forconnecting or is connected to an injector. The term “radial” refers to adirection in a cross-sectional plane normal to a longitudinal axis of asyringe extending between proximal and distal ends. The term“circumferential” refers to a direction around an inner or outer surfaceof a sidewall of a syringe. The term “axial” refers to a direction alonga longitudinal axis of a syringe extending between the proximal anddistal ends.

It is to be understood, however, that the disclosure may assumealternative variations and step sequences, except where expresslyspecified to the contrary. It is also to be understood that the specificdevices and processes illustrated in the attached drawings, anddescribed in the following specification, are simply non-limitingexamples of the disclosure. Hence, specific dimensions and otherphysical characteristics related to the examples (i.e., examples,variants, variations) disclosed herein are not to be considered aslimiting.

Referring to the drawings in which like reference characters refer tolike parts throughout the several views thereof, the present disclosureis generally directed to a syringe having an identification tag and anidentification tag reader system for reading information stored in theidentification tag.

Fluid Injector

With reference to FIG. 1, a fluid injector 10 (hereinafter referred toas “injector 10”), such as an automated or powered fluid injector, isadapted to interface with and actuate at least one syringe 12, each ofwhich may be independently filled with a medical fluid F, such ascontrast media, saline solution, or any desired medical fluid. Theinjector 10 may be used during a medical procedure to inject the medicalfluid into the body of a patient by driving a plunger 26 of the at leastone syringe 12 with at least one piston. The injector 10 may be amulti-syringe injector, wherein several syringes 12 may be oriented in aside-by-side or other arrangement and include plungers 26 separatelyactuated by respective pistons associated with the injector 10. Inexamples with two syringes arranged in a side-by-side relationship andfilled with two different medical fluids, the injector 10 may deliverfluid from one or both of the syringes 12. The injector 10 has a controlmechanism 11 configured for controlling operation of at least oneoperating parameter of the injector 10, such as the injection pressureand the volume of fluid delivered from at least one of the syringes 12.

The injector 10 has a housing 14 formed from a suitable structuralmaterial, such as plastic or metal, that encloses various components fordelivering fluid from the syringes 12. The housing 14 may have variousshapes and sizes depending on a desired application. For example, theinjector 10 may be a free-standing structure configured to be placed onthe floor with a stationary or movable platform. Alternatively, theinjector 10 may be configured for placement on a suitable table orsupport frame. The injector 10 includes at least one syringe port 16 forconnecting the at least one syringe 12 to respective piston elements. Insome examples, the at least one syringe 12 includes at least one syringeretaining member for retaining the syringe 12 within the syringe port 16of the injector 10. The at least one syringe retaining memberoperatively engages a locking mechanism provided on or in the syringeport 16 of the injector 10 to facilitate loading and/or removal of thesyringe 12 to and from the injector 10, as described herein. The syringeretaining member and the locking mechanism together define a connectioninterface for connecting the syringe 12 to the injector 10.

At least one fluid path set 17 may be fluidly connected with the atleast one syringe 12 for delivering medical fluid F from the at leastone syringe 12 to a catheter, needle, or other fluid delivery device(not shown) inserted into a patient at a vascular access site. Fluidflow from the at least one syringe 12 may be regulated by a fluidcontrol module (not shown). The fluid control module may operate variouspistons, valves, and/or flow regulating structures to regulate thedelivery of the medical fluid, such as saline solution and contrast, tothe patient based on user selected injection parameters, such asinjection flow rate, duration, total injection volume, and/or ratio ofcontrast media and saline. One example of a suitable front-loading fluidinjector 10 that may be modified for use with the above-described systemincluding at least one syringe 12 and at least one syringe interface forself-oriented loading and releasable retaining of the at least onesyringe 12 with the fluid injector 10 described herein with reference toFIG. 1 is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,383,858 to Reilly et al. and U.S.Pat. Nos. 9,173,995 and 9,199,033, each of which is incorporated hereinby reference in their entirety. Another example of relevant multi-fluiddelivery systems that may be modified for use with the present system isfound U.S. Pat. No. 7,553,294 to Lazzaro et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 7,666,169to Cowan et al.; International Patent Publication No. WO 2012/155035;and U.S. Pat. No. 9,474,857 to Riley et al.; the disclosures of whichare incorporated herein by reference. Other examples may include newfluid injector systems designed to include various examples of thepiston plunger interfaces described herein.

Syringe

Having described the general structure and function of the injector 10,the at least one syringe 12 will now be discussed in greater detail.With reference to FIG. 2, the syringe 12 generally has a cylindricalsyringe barrel 18 formed from glass, metal, or a suitable medical-gradeplastic. The barrel 18 has a proximal end 20 and a distal end 24, with asidewall 19 extending therebetween along a syringe longitudinal axis 15extending through a center of the barrel 18. The barrel 18 may be madefrom a transparent or translucent material. A nozzle 22 extends from thedistal end 24 of the barrel 18. The barrel 18 has an outer surface 21and an inner surface or wall 23 that defines an interior volume 25 forreceiving the fluid therein. The proximal end 20 of the barrel 18 may besealed with the plunger 26 that is slidable through the barrel 18. Theplunger 26 may have a plunger cover 58 that forms a liquid-tight sealagainst the inner surface 23 of the sidewall 19 of the barrel 18 as theplunger 26 is advanced therethrough.

A drip flange 35 may extend radially outwardly from the outer surface 21of the syringe barrel 18 relative to the longitudinal axis 15. The dripflange 35 may extend around at least a portion of the outercircumference of the barrel 18. The drip flange 35 may prevent fluidthat drips from the nozzle 22 from entering the syringe port 16 on theinjector 10. In this manner, the drip flange 35 helps reduce the amountof fluid that may enter the syringe port 16 and jam or otherwiseinterfere with the connection interface and/or the interior mechanicsand electronics of the injector 10. In some examples, the drip flange 35defines a stop surface that delimits the depth at which an insertionsection 30 of the syringe 12 may be inserted into the syringe port 16(shown in FIG. 1). The drip flange 35 may be formed integrally with thebarrel 18 or it may be affixed or otherwise secured to the outer surface21 of the barrel 18.

With continued reference to FIG. 2, the proximal end 20 of the syringe12 is sized and adapted for being removably inserted in the syringe port16 of the injector 10 (shown in FIG. 1). In some examples, the proximalend 20 of the syringe 12 defines the insertion section 30 that isremovably insertable into the syringe port 16 of the injector 10 whilethe remaining portion of the syringe 12 remains outside of the syringeport 16.

Exemplary syringes suitable for use with the injector 10 depicted inFIG. 1 and which can be adapted for use with a fluid verification systemare described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 9,173,995; 9,199,033; and 9,700,670, thedisclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.Additional exemplary syringes are disclosed in, for example, U.S. Pat.No. 5,383,858 to Reilly et al., U.S. Pat. No. 6,322,535 to Hitchins etal., and U.S. Pat. No. 6,652,489 to Trocki et al., the disclosures ofeach of which is incorporated herein by reference in their entireties.

In certain examples, the proximal end 20 of the syringe 12 includes oneor more syringe retaining members 33 adapted to form a lockingengagement with a corresponding locking mechanism in the syringe port 16of the injector 10 for releasably retaining the syringe 12 in thesyringe port 16. Various retaining members 33 for releasably locking thesyringe 12 with the injector 10 are described in, for example, U.S. Pat.Nos. 9,173,995; 9,199,033; and 9,700,670.

Identification Tag

With reference to FIGS. 3A-3C, the syringe 12 has at least oneidentification tag 50 associated therewith. In specific embodiments, thesyringe may have a plurality of identification tags 50, such as 2, 3, 4,5, 6, 7, 8, 9, or 10 identification tags. In some examples, the at leastone identification tag 50 may be positioned at the proximal end 20 ofthe syringe 12, such as on the insertion portion 30 proximal of the dripflange 35. In other examples, the at least one identification tag 50 maybe positioned on any portion of the syringe barrel 18 between theproximal end 20 and the distal end 24. In some examples, the at leastone identification tag 50 may be a 1-dimensional, 2-dimensional, or3-dimensional barcode having information about at least one property ofthe syringe 12 and/or the fluid contained therein. In other embodiments,the at least one identification tag 50 may comprise a combination of1-dimensional, 2-dimensional, and/or 3 dimensional barcodes. In certainembodiments, the at least one identification tag 50 may be a Q-R Code.In other examples, the at least one identification tag 50 may beindicia, such as words, marks, images, or other indicia havinginformation about at least one property of the syringe 12 and/or thefluid contained therein.

While the at least one identification tag 50 is discussed herein asbeing associated with a syringe 12 in one preferred and non-limitingexample, it should be noted that the use of the at least oneidentification tag 50 and a corresponding identification tag readersystem is not limited to the syringe 12 and the fluid injector 10. Forexample, the at least one identification tag 50 may be provided on anytransparent or translucent object. One of ordinary skill in the artwould readily understand that the at least one identification tag 50 maybe used with a variety of objects for storing information relating to atleast one property of the object. For example, in certain embodiments,the at least one identification tag 50 may be on a transparent ortranslucent label adhered to at least a portion of the syringe 12.

With particular reference to FIG. 3A, the at least one identificationtag 50 may be a plurality of identification tags 50 spaced apart fromone another at equal or unequal angular intervals in a circumferentialdirection. For example, the syringe 12 may have six identification tags50 spaced apart at equal angular intervals in a circumferentialdirection. In other examples, the at least one identification tag 50 maybe a plurality of identification tags 50 spaced apart from one anotherat equal or unequal intervals in a circumferential and/or axialdirection. Each of the plurality of identification tags 50 may beidentical to one another (i.e., tags 50 may be encoded with identicalinformation). Alternatively, the plurality of identification tags 50 maybe different from one another (i.e., each tag 50 may be encoded withdifferent information). Providing multiple identification tags 50 in acircumferential direction of the syringe 12 assures that at least aportion of at least one of the at least one identification tags 50 canbe read by a detector of the reader system of the fluid injector 10, asdescribed herein.

With continued reference to FIG. 3A, according to certain embodimentseach syringe 12 may have a unique set of identification tags 50 thatcontain identifying information about at least one property of thesyringe 12 and/or the fluid contained therein. In some examples, the atleast one identification tag 50 may be approximately 0.312×0.312 inches,although other sized identification tags are contemplated, for exampledepending on the available surface area on the transparent surface, theamount of information encoded into the identification tag 50, and/or thefield of view of the detector. The at least one identification tag 50may have an array of symbols, for example in a 36×36 data matrix formatsuch that the at least one identification tag 50 is capable of storing128 bytes (1,024 bits) of data. Other symbol arrays are contemplateddependent on the amount of information encoded into the identificationtag 50. In some examples, information that can be stored in the at leastone identification tag 50 includes, without limitation, informationregarding the syringe type, such as size, pressure rating, multi- orsingle-patient use, and/or use with a particular injector platform. Inother examples, information that can be stored in the at least oneidentification tag 50 includes, without limitation, informationregarding production data of the syringe, such as the date and time ofmanufacture, lot number, production line, plant code, and/or shelf life.In other examples, information that can be stored in the at least oneidentification tag 50 includes, without limitation, informationregarding the type of fluid stored in the syringe, volume of fluid,and/or shelf life. In other examples, information that can be stored inthe at least one identification tag 50 includes, without limitation,information regarding a unique digital signature that can be verified bythe fluid injector 10 to confirm that an authentic syringe 12 is usedwith the fluid injector 10 or that the syringe that has been approvedfor use with the injector system by the manufacturer of the injector.Any and all of this information may be stored in each of the at leastone identification tag 50 or a combination of 2 or more of the at leastone identification tags.

In some examples, the at least one identification tag 50 may be engravedor etched within the sidewall 19 of the syringe 12 such that the atleast one identification tag 50 is positioned between the inner sidewall23 and the outer sidewall 21 as illustrated in FIG. 3B. For example, theat least one identification tag 50 may be laser-etched within thethickness of the sidewall 19 of the syringe 12, such that the at leastone identification tag 50 is positioned between the surfaces of theouter sidewall 21 and the inner sidewall 23. In this manner, anyparticulate matter from the syringe sidewall 19 generated during laseretching or manufacture of the at least one identification tag 50 can becontained within the sidewall 19 and prevented from contaminating theinner sidewall 23 and/or outer sidewall 21 of the syringe 12. Further,etching the identification tag 50 within the thickness of the side wall19 may prevent tampering with or altering the information contained inthe identification tag 50.

In other examples, the at least one identification tag 50 may bepositioned on the surface of the inner sidewall 23 and/or the outersidewall 21 of the syringe 12 (FIG. 3C). For example, the at least oneidentification tag 50 may be etched, engraved, or machined on thesurface of the inner sidewall 23 and/or the outer sidewall 21 of thesyringe 12. In other examples, the at least one identification tag 50may be printed directly on the syringe 12, or it may be printed on acarrier which is adhesively or otherwise affixed to the inner sidewall23 and/or the outer sidewall 21 of the syringe 12. In some examples, theat least one identification tag 50 may be formed on the inner sidewall23 or the outer sidewall 21 of the syringe 12 using a thermal transferprinting technique. In other embodiments, the at least oneidentification tag 50 may be printed on a label that may then beaffixed, such as adhesively or shrink-wrapped, to or around the outersidewall 21 or the inner sidewall 23.

Identification Tag Reader System

With reference to FIG. 4A, the injector 10 (shown in FIG. 1) has atleast one identification tag reader system 100 (hereinafter referred toas “reader system 100”) configured for reading information from the atleast one identification tag 50 on the syringe 12. According to certainembodiments, at least one reader system 100 may be associated with eachsyringe port of an injector. In various examples, the reader system 100may be an optical system, such as a video- or a still-image system. Inother examples, the reader system 100 may be a laser-based system. Ineach example, the reader system 100 is configured to detect at least oneof the at least one identification tags 50 on the syringe 12, andread/decode information contained within the at least one identificationtag 50, for example by a control mechanism 11. The read/decodedinformation can be used by the injector 10 for controlling at least oneoperating parameter of the injector 10.

While the reader system 100 is discussed herein as being associated withthe injector 10 in one preferred and non-limiting example, it should benoted that the use of the reader system 100 is not limited to theinjector 10. For example, the reader system 100 may be a standalonesystem configured for reading at least one identification tag 50provided on any transparent or translucent object. Alternatively, thereader system 100 may be associated with any other system wherein thereader system 100 provides an additional functionality to the system byenabling reading of information stored in the at least oneidentification tag 50.

The reader system 100 may be provided inside the housing 14 of theinjector 10 and is operatively connected to the control mechanism 11 ofthe injector 10 such that the reader system 100 can receive instructionsfrom the control mechanism 11 and send information to the controlmechanism 11. For example, the control mechanism 11 may be configured tocontrol the operation of the reader system 100. In some examples, thereader system 100 may be controlled independently of the controlmechanism 11 of the injector 10. In such examples, the reader system 100may be configured to communicate with the control mechanism 11 and sendinformation from the at least one identification tag 50 to the controlmechanism 11 for controlling operation of at least one parameter of theinjector 10.

With continued reference to FIG. 4A, at least a portion of the readersystem 100 may be positioned radially offset relative to the outersurface 21 of the syringe 12 such that the reader system 100 ispositioned opposite at least one identification tag 50. In suchexamples, the reader system 100 is positioned such that at least one ofthe at least one identification tags 50 is in a direct optical path 109of the reader system 100. In various embodiments, one or more lenses(not shown) and/or mirrors may be used in an optical path 109 betweenthe reader system 100 and the at least one identification tag 50 toenlarge or reduce the size of the at least one identification tag 50.

In other examples, such as shown in FIG. 4B, the reader system 100 maybe offset axially and radially relative to the outer surface 21 of thesyringe 12. In such examples, the reader system is positioned such thatthe at least one identification tag 50 is outside a field of view of thereader system 100. One or more reflective elements 102, such as mirrors,may be provided to fold or direct the optical path 109 between thereader system 100 and at least one of the at least one identificationtag 50. In some examples, the one or more reflective elements 102 may bea front surface mirror (with the silvering applied to the exposed frontsurface of the glass), or a rear surface mirror. The use of a frontsurface mirror may be used in certain embodiments because undesirablesecondary or “ghost” reflections that may occur with rear surfacemirrors can be eliminated. The one or more reflective elements 102 maybe flat, convex, or concave or a combination of any of these geometries,for example with more than one reflective element 102 is used. In thismanner, the size of the at least one identification tag 50 that isperceived by the reader system 100 may be enlarged or reduced asrequired to fit within the detection area of the reader. In addition,one or more lenses (not shown) may be used in optical path 109 betweenthe reader system 100 and the at least one identification tag 50 tofurther enlarge or reduce the size of the at least one identificationtag 50.

The one or more reflective element 102 may be placed in an optical path109 so that the optical path 109 clearly exposes at least one of the atleast one identification tags 50 to the reader system 100. For example,in certain embodiments where the at least one identification tag 50 andthe reader system are orthogonal, for example to allow all of thecomponents of the reader system 100 to fit within a confined spacewithin the injector housing 14, the system may utilize a reflectiveelement at about a 45° angle to direct the optical path from the readersystem 100 to the at least one identification tag 50. By bending theoptical path 109, for example through a 90° angle, the orientation ofthe reader system 100 may be effectively rotated to face toward thedistal end 24 of the syringe 12 (shown in FIG. 4B). In some examples, itmay be desirable to position the reflective element 102 at about anangle of 45° to create a 90° bend in the optical path 109. The opticalpath 109 may be as close to perpendicular relative to the at least oneidentification tag 50. Such positioning of the reflective element 102may eliminate any blurring of the at least one identification tag 50 dueto an optical path 109 that is not perpendicular. An off-axis alignmentof the optical path 109 may cause a top portion of the at least oneidentification tag 50 to appear either wider or more narrow than abottom portion, making it more difficult to detect and decode theidentification tag 50, although this may be corrected for in the readersystem software if necessary.

Due to positioning of the at least one identification tag 50 on theinsertion portion 30 of the syringe 12, the at least one identificationtag 50 is positioned within the syringe port 16 when the syringe 12 isconnected to the injector 10. Due to the enclosed configuration of thesyringe port 16, the insertion portion 30 of the syringe 12 is in a darkenvironment with little to no ambient light. As such, the at least oneidentification tag 50 is also in the dark environment. Imaging of the atleast one identification tag 50 in a dark environment makes it difficultor impossible to capture sufficient detail from the at least oneidentification tag 50 in order to extract the necessary informationtherefrom (see FIG. 14A). Lighting of at least a portion of at least theat least one identification tag 50 within the optical path to increasethe contrast of the at least one identification tag 50 against thesurrounding background is important in various embodiments forsuccessful and reliable reading of information stored in the at leastone identification tag 50, particularly within a dark environment suchas the interior of the injector 10. The dark environment within thesyringe port 16 poses several challenges for reading the at least oneidentification tag 50 using the reader system 100. According to variousembodiments, the at least one identification tag 50 must be illuminated,or otherwise visually enhanced, before it can be detected or effectivelyread by the reader system 100. Directly illuminating the identificationtag 50 may result in glare from the smooth and reflective surface of thesyringe 12 (see FIG. 14B). Furthermore, focusing on the at least oneidentification tag 50 can be difficult due to the curved shape of thesyringe barrel 18. In addition, the transparent syringe barrel materialmay appear to be dark with some illumination strategies, therebyproviding little contrast with the dark identification tag 50. It hasbeen found through experimentation that illuminating a background behindthe at least one identification tag 50 provides an optimum amount ofcontrast between the at least one identification tag 50 and thebackground environment to enable efficient and reliable reading ofinformation embedded in the at least one identification tag 50 (see FIG.14C).

With reference to FIG. 5, according to certain embodiments the readersystem 100 may have a detector 104, such as an optical scan engine orcamera, having a lens 106. The detector 104 may be arranged such thatits field of view 108 is in a direction substantially parallel with thelongitudinal axis 15 of the syringe 12. The reader system 100 mayfurther have at least one reflective element 102 to “fold” or direct theoptical path 109 between the detector 104 and at least one of the atleast one identification tag 50 on the syringe 12. The at least onereflective element 102 may be positioned at an angle α relative to thelongitudinal axis 15 of the syringe 12. According to certainembodiments, the angle α may be from about 44° to about 46°. The atleast one reflective element 102 is desirably positioned at an angle ofabout 45° to create a 90° bend in the optical path 109 to eliminateblurring of the at least one identification tag 50. While theidentification tag 50 is illustrated as being on the outer surface 21 ofthe syringe 12, in other embodiments the identification tag 50 may bedisposed between the outer surface 21 and the inner surface 23 of thesyringe 12 or one the inner surface 23 of the syringe 12, such as shownin FIG. 3B and 3C. In certain embodiments, a protective window 110 maybe disposed between the reflective element 102 and the outer surface 21of the syringe 12, for example to protect the optical components of thesystem from fouling from medical fluids, such as contrast, which mayimpair the ability of the system to effectively read the at least oneidentification code 50. The reader system 100 may further have anillumination system 112 for illuminating at least a portion of the atleast one identification tag 50. In some examples, the illuminationsystem 112 may be configured to illuminate at least a portion of abackground screen 114 situated behind the at least one identificationtag 50 such that the at least one identification tag 50 is disposedbetween the illuminated background screen 114 and the optical path 109of the detector 104. The illumination system 112 may have one or morelight modules 116, such as light emitting diodes (LEDs), laser, or otherlight source, which illuminate at least a portion of the backgroundscreen 114. In some examples, the background screen 114 may be a “lightpipe” positioned within an interior of syringe 12 behind the at leastone identification tag 50 and directing light from the one or more lightmodules 116 up through the background screen 114.

With reference to FIG. 6, the reader system 100 according to anembodiment is shown as it is positioned within the injector housing 14with syringe 12 inserted into the syringe port 16. The reader system 100may have an interface board 118 for controlling operation of the readersystem 100. For example, the interface board 118 may be connected to thedetector 104 and/or the illumination system 112 by one or more cables120 and 140. The detector 104 and/or the illumination system 112 may becontained within a housing 122 and/or a frame 128 that is receivedwithin a cavity within the injector housing 14 adjacent syringe port 16.The housing 122 may have at least one sealing element 124, such as anO-ring, for sealing the interior of the housing 122 from intrusion andfouling by dust particles and/or fluid. Reader Module

With reference to FIGS. 7A-7B, the reader system 100 may be configuredas a reader module 126 having the housing 122 that receives thecomponents of the reader system 100. In some examples, the reader module126 may have a housing 122 that encloses and protects the detector 104and the illumination system 112. The reader module 126 may further havethe frame 128 for mounting at least one of the detector 104 and theillumination system 112. In certain embodiments, the background screen114 may be integral with at least one of the housing 122 and the frame128. Together, the housing 122 and the frame 128 align the components ofthe reader system 100 relative to the at least one identification tag 50on the syringe 12 that appears within the field of view when the syringe12 is inserted into the syringe port 16. The housing 122 and the frame128 desirably enclose the components of the reader system 100 to preventdust and contaminants from settling on and/or fouling the reflectiveelement 102, the lens 106, or the inside surface of the protectivewindow 110. The housing 122 and/or the frame 128 may be configured toposition the reflective element 102 as closely to the detector 104 andthe lens 106 as possible to prevent dust on the reflective element 102from appearing as sharply focused spots. In certain embodiments, theinjector 10 may have a plurality of reader modules 126 in each syringeport 16 to facilitate reading of the at least one identification tag 50regardless of the rotational orientation of the syringe 12 about itslongitudinal axis 15 relative to a longitudinal axis of the syringe port16. For example, at least two reader modules 126 may be provided foreach syringe port 16. In other embodiments, the injector 10 may includeone reader module 126 within each syringe port 16 and the injector 10may be configured to rotate or align the syringe upon insertion to placeat least one of the at least one identification tags 50 within the fieldof view of the reader module 126.

With particular reference to FIG. 7B, the protective window 110 may beformed directly on one of the housing 122 and the frame 128. Theprotective window 110 is desirably transparent to allow an unobstructedoptical path 109 (shown in FIG. 5) from the detector 104 to the at leastone identification tag 50. The protective window 110 also protects thecomponents of the reader system 100 from spilled contrast and otherfluids or dust. The protective window 110 may be sealed to sealingelement 124. Desirably, the protective window 110 is positioned as farfrom the at least one identification tag 50 as possible to prevent dirtand contamination on the protective window 110 from being in sharpfocus.

Interface Board

With reference to FIG. 6, the interface board 118 may be in electroniccommunication with the control mechanism 11 of the injector 10. Theinterface board 118 communicates with the control mechanism 11 and maysend and receive instructions thereto or control the operation thereof.The interface board 118 may have a microprocessor and associatedsoftware configured to convert the information from the at least oneidentification tag 50 into individual parameters. In some examples, theinterface board 118 may have memory to store the unique identifyinginformation of all recently used syringes 12. In this manner, the fluidinjector 10 can be configured to prevent or provide a warning againstreuse of a syringe 12 that has been used once or for a predeterminednumber of times. In other examples, the interface board 118 may have adecryption code to decrypt the unique identifying information associatedwith the at least one identification tag 50, for example to decodeidentifying information, as described herein, about the syringe, enableoperation of the fluid injector 10 when a syringe 12 having the correctdigital signature is connected and/or disable or provide a warning tothe user when the syringe 12 does not have a correct digital signature.In addition, the interface board 118 may control the operation of thedetector 104 and/or the illumination system 112 by way of one or moreelectronic connection cable 140. For example, the interface board 118may control the timing and/or intensity of the LEDs, the aperture of thelens 106 and exposure time of the detector 104, or any other functionassociated with the detector 104 and/or illumination system 112necessary for accurate reading of the at least one identification tag50. In certain embodiments, the interface board 118 may be incorporatedinto the electronics of the fluid injector 10 and the reader system 100may be connected to the fluid injector electronics by one or moreelectrical cables (not shown).

Detector

In some examples, the detector 104 may be a digital camera configured tocapture an image of at least one identification tag 50, identify andextract information defining the at least one identification tag 50, andconvert the identification tag 50 into usable data to be transmitted tothe fluid injector 10, for example via the interface board 118 and/orthe control mechanism 11. In specific embodiments, the detector 104 mayhave a color or black-and-white image sensor having a pixel resolutionsufficient to detect and decode the at least one identification tag 50,for example a resolution of 752 x 480 pixels or more. In otherembodiments, for example with larger or less complex identification tags50, the resolution of the detector 104 may be less. The detector 104 mayhave a fixed or adjustable lens 106 suitable for focusing on theidentification tag 50 within the field of view. In some examples, thelens may be a 6.20 mm f/2.8 lens or one with greater or lesser focuspower. The detector 104 is operatively connected to the interface board118. In this manner, information detected by the detector 104 may becommunicated to the interface board 118 and to the fluid injector 10including the fluid injector controller.

In some examples, the detector 104 may have a decoder with amicroprocessor running firmware that is configured to decode thecaptured image of the identification tag 50 into numerical,alpha-numerical, or binary data. In some examples, the detector 104 mayhave one or more lighting elements (not shown), such as one or morelight LEDs configured to illuminate the identification tag 50 during thescanning process. In some examples, the one or more lighting elementsmay be used to define an aiming pattern or dot on the identification tag50.

Due to space constraints, in certain embodiments the detector 104 mayhave a short focal length that allows the detector 104 to be placedclose to the syringe barrel 18. The detector 104 may also have a shallowdepth of field such that the at least one identification tag 50 is infocus, while the remaining objects in the optical path 109, such as anydirt on the surface of the lens 106 or dirt on the outer surface 21 orthe inner surface 23 of the syringe barrel 18, is out of focus. In someexamples, the lens 106 of the detector 104 may be a magnifying lens thatenlarges the size of the at least one identification tag 50 as seen bythe detector 104. In other examples, the reader system 100 may have oneor more magnifying lenses (not shown) external to the detector 104 toenlarge the size of the at least one identification tag 50 as seen bythe detector 104. Maximizing the apparent size of the at least oneidentification tag 50 allows the available resolution of the detector104 to be used most efficiently. In some examples, the detector 104 hasa large aperture lens (e.g., f/2.0 or greater) to provide a shallowdepth of field with increased light sensitivity.

Background Screen

With reference to FIG. 8, in certain embodiments the background screen114 may be directly connected to the frame 128, such as by way of thespacer 134. In some examples, the background screen 114 and the spacer134 are monolithically formed with the frame 128. In other examples, thebackground screen 114 and/or the spacer 134 are removably ornon-removably connected to the frame 128. The background screen 114 isseparated from the protective screen 110 by a space 130. When connectedto the injector 10, at least a portion of the circumferential sidewall19 of the insertion portion 30 of the syringe 12 is positioned in thespace 130 between the protective screen 110 and the background screen114 (see, e.g., FIG. 6). Additionally, the background screen 114 extendsinto the interior of the syringe barrel 18 such that it is positionedproximally of the plunger 26 when the plunger 26 is at its most proximalposition. Further, the background screen 114 is positioned so that itdoes not interfere with the travel path of the injector piston (notshown). In this manner, the background screen 114 can be positionedbehind at least one of the at least one identification tags 50 of thesyringe 12 to provide an illuminated backdrop against which theidentification tag 50 can be read by the reader module 126.

The background screen 114 defines a surface behind the at least oneidentification tag 50 that can be illuminated with the illuminationsystem 112 (shown in FIG. 9) to provide a contrasting background to theidentification tag 50. In some examples, the background screen 114 isconfigured as a light pipe wherein light from the illumination system112 is directed through the body of the background screen 114 in aproximal-to-distal direction (FIG. 11). The background screen 114 may bepositioned directly above the illumination system 112 and may extend atan angle that is substantially parallel to a direction of illuminationfrom the illumination system 112. In this manner, light from theillumination system 112 illuminates a bottom surface of the backgroundscreen 114 and is transmitted through the body of the background scree114, thereby lighting at least a portion of the background screen 114.The at least one identification tag 50 can be read against a contrastingbackdrop without directly illuminating the at least one identificationtag 50 thereby reducing glare of the sidewall surface of the syringe 12.The background screen 114 may have at least one of an at least partiallytextured surface, an at least partially painted or coated surface, or acombination thereof. In some examples, the background screen 114 may bewhite in color to provide a high contrast background against which theidentification tag 50 may be read. In other embodiments, the backgroundscreen 114 may be of a transparent or translucent material. In otherembodiments, the background screen may have particulate materialembedded within the screen material which may act to scatter at least aportion of the light as it passes through the body of the backgroundscreen 114. In certain embodiments, the background screen 114 is paintedor coated with a material that is resistant to damage from exposure tocontrast. In some examples, the background screen 114 may be curved tosubstantially correspond to a lateral curvature of the syringe barrel18. On certain embodiments, the background screen 114 may be made from atransparent plastic with an opaque pigment added (such as white titaniumdioxide powder, for example approximately 0.5% to 2%) or a fluorescentmaterial added that fluoresces when exposed to light of a specificwavelength transmitted by the illumination system 112. When the pigmentis illuminated by light from the illumination system 112, the backgroundscreen 114 will appear to glow internally. Furthermore in certainembodiments, the background screen 114 may narrow in a direction from aproximal end toward a distal end. In other embodiments, the backgroundscreen 114 may be made from a transparent plastic with a substantiallytransparent material added thereto which scatters at least a portion ofthe light when illuminated.

With reference to FIG. 13, the background screen 114 is shown inaccordance with another example. The background screen 114 is angledrelative to a direction of illumination from the one or more lightmodules 116 at an angle β. In some examples, the angle β may be 30° to45° from the direction of illumination from the one or more lightmodules 116, which may be parallel with a lateral axis. The backgroundscreen 114 may have at least one painted surface 115 on a side closestto the at least one identification tag 50 to provide a high contrastbackground against which the identification tag 50 may be read. In someexamples, the painted surface 115 may be white in color. The backgroundscreen 114 may be made from a transparent, translucent, or opaquematerial. Light from the one or more light modules 116 passes through atransparent cover 117 that supports the background screen 114 and isabsorbed/reflected from the angled painted surface 115 of the backgroundscreen 114 to illuminate a background behind the at least oneidentification tag 50. While the at least one identification tag 50 isillustrated in FIG. 13 as being positioned on an inner surface 23 of thesyringe 12, it should be noted that the at least one identification tag50 may also be positioned on an outer surface 21 of the syringe 12, suchas shown in FIG. 3C, or within the sidewall 19 of the syringe 12 betweenthe outer surface 21 and the inner surface 23, such as shown in FIG. 3B.

Illumination System

With reference to FIG. 9, according to various aspects, the illuminationsystem 112 may have a plurality of light modules 116, such as LEDs,lasers, or other light source. As shown in FIG. 7B, the illuminationsystem 112 may be positioned within a cavity 132 of the spacer 134between the frame 128 and the background screen 114. In some examples,the plurality of light modules 116 may be positioned directly under aproximal end of the background screen 114 such that light from each ofthe plurality of light modules 116 is directed toward the backgroundscreen 114. The position of the plurality of light modules 116 isselected to maximize the amount of light illuminating the proximal endof the background screen 114, and therefore travelling up through theinterior portion of the background screen 114 creating a light pipeeffect. In some examples, such as shown in FIGS. 10-11, a shield 136 maybe provided to block at least a portion of the light emitted by theplurality of light modules 116 that does not illuminate the backgroundscreen 114. For example, the shield 136 may be configured to block lightthat would otherwise illuminate the protective screen 110 ordetrimentally impact image quality for reading the at least oneidentification tag 50. In certain embodiments, the entire bottom surfaceof the background screen 114 may be illuminated when the backgroundscreen 114 is configured for use as a light pipe.

With reference to FIGS. 12A-12B, the plurality of light modules 116 maybe spaced apart relative to one another with uniform or non-uniformspacing therebetween. In certain embodiments, the spacing X₁, X₂, X₃, X₄between the light modules 116 and/or the light intensity of each of thelight modules 116 may be varied to provide uniform illumination of thebackground screen 114. Uniform illumination may be important in variousembodiments as the ability of the detector 104 to read theidentification tag 50 may diminish when illumination level variessignificantly between different portions of the identification tag 50.In some examples, the spacing of the light modules 116 may decrease inan outward direction from a center of the board of which the lightmodules 116 are positioned. The spacing near the edges of the light pipeis closer together because the edges of the light pipe are onlyilluminated by the LEDs near the edge, whereas portions near the centerof the background screen 114 may be illuminated by light coming fromseveral of the plurality of light modules 116. FIG. 12B illustratesoverlap of lighted areas from the plurality of light modules 116 whenthe light modules 116 are evenly spaced resulting in greater lightintensity near the central region 127 of the background screen 114 andlower light intensities near the lateral peripheral regions 129 of thebackground screen 114. In some examples, a textured surface at aproximal end of the background screen 114 immediately above the lightmodules 116 may be provided to disperse the light uniformly as itinitially enters the background screen 114. In other embodiments, theperipheral regions 129 of the background screen 114 may include a largerconcentration of embedded scattering elements or textured surfacescompared to the central region 127 of the background screen 114 toincrease light scattering and therefor light intensities at theperipheral regions 129 to more closely match the light intensity of thecentral regions 127 of the background screen 114.

Alternative Examples

In some examples, the detector 104 may be a laser detector having alaser emitter and receiver. The detector 104 may be used without anillumination system 112 because the laser light emitted from the laseremitter illuminates the identification tag 50. One or more reflectiveelements 102 may be provided to deflect the laser rays such that thelaser rays strike the at least one identification tag 50 at differentangles. The laser receiver receives the reflected laser rays and readsidentifying information associated with the identification tag 50 basedupon the characteristics of the reflected laser rays. In some examples,the laser detector may be configured for reading 1-dimensional barcodes.

In other examples, rather than, or in addition to, illuminating thebackground screen 114 behind the at least one identification tag 50, theat least one identification tag 50 can be illuminated directly by theillumination system 112. For example, the illumination system 112 mayilluminate the at least one identification tag 50 in a directionparallel with the optical path 109. Alternatively, or in addition, theillumination system 112 may illuminate the at least one identificationtag 50 at an angle relative to the optical path 109. The illuminationsystem 112 may illuminate the outer surface 21 and/or the inner surface23 of the syringe 12.

In still other embodiments, the syringe sidewall 19 may act as anilluminated background screen, for example by acting as a light pipehaving an illumination system 112 below the syringe sidewall 19. Theilluminated syringe sidewall 19 may act as a background screen for atleast one identification tag 50 located on the outer sidewall 21 of thesyringe sidewall 19 or for at least one identification tag 50 laseretched into the interior of the syringe sidewall 19.

Method of Use

Having described the structure of the injector 10, the at least oneidentification tag 50, and the reader system 100, an embodiment of amethod of reading at least one of the at least one identification tags50 using the reader system 100 will now be described. When the syringe12 is inserted into the syringe port 16, at least one of the at leastone identification tags 50 is positioned in the space 130 between theprotective screen 110 and the background screen 114 of the reader system100. The injector's control mechanism 11 may send a command to thereader system 100 to initiate a scan or alternatively, the reader system100 may automatically begin scanning upon insertion of the syringe 12.For example, the reader system 100 may turn on the illumination system112 to illuminate the background screen 114 and, if necessary, focus thelens 106 on the at least one identification tag 50. The detector 104 isthen activated to capture an image of the at least one identificationtag 50 against the backdrop defined by the illuminated background screen114. The captured image is then decoded using an algorithm programmed inthe interface board 118 of the reader system 100 or within the injectorsoftware to extract information about at least one parameter of thesyringe 12 and/or the fluid contained therein. Once the at least oneidentification tag 50 has been decoded, the reader system 100 may sendthe decoded information to the injector's control mechanism 11. Theillumination system 112 may be turned off after the at least oneidentification tag 50 has been decoded.

Although the invention has been described in detail for the purpose ofillustration based on what are currently considered to be the mostpractical and preferred examples, it is to be understood that suchdetail is solely for that purpose and that the invention is not limitedto the disclosed examples, but, on the contrary, is intended to covermodifications and equivalent arrangements that are within the spirit andscope of the appended claims. For example, it is to be understood thatthe present invention contemplates that, to the extent possible, one ormore features of any example can be combined with one or more featuresof any other example.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method for reading information on at least oneidentification tag associated with a syringe, the method comprising:locating at least one of the at least one identification tags associatedwith a sidewall of the syringe inserted between a background screen anda frame of a detector, such that the at least one of the at least oneidentification tags is positioned in an optical path between thedetector and the background screen; illuminating at least a portion ofthe background screen with an illumination system; detecting by thedetector at least a portion of the at least one of the at least oneidentification tags; and communicating with a control mechanism of afluid injector at least one parameter from the at least oneidentification tag, wherein the background screen is spaced apart fromthe frame of the detector such that at least a portion of the syringehaving the at least one identification tag is insertable in a spacebetween the background screen and the frame.
 2. The method of claim 1,further comprising decrypting at least one decryption code with uniqueidentifying information associated with the at least one identificationtag.
 3. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one parametercomprises a digital signature for the syringe, the method furthercomprising enabling operation of the fluid injector when the at leastone identification tag associated with the syringe comprises a correctdigital signature.
 4. The method of claim 3, further comprisingnotifying a user that the syringe is not a correct syringe if thesyringe does not comprise the correct digital signature.
 5. The methodof claim 3, further comprising disabling the fluid injector while thesyringe is inserted in the injector port if the syringe does notcomprise the correct digital signature.
 6. The method of claim 1,wherein illuminating at least a portion of the background screencomprises illuminating a surface of the portion of the backgroundscreen.
 7. The method of claim 6, wherein illuminating the surfacecomprises at least one of illuminating a painted surface of thebackground screen, illuminating a textured surface of the backgroundscreen, and illuminating a light pipe of the background screen.
 8. Themethod of claim 1, wherein the detector is a digital camera anddetecting at least a portion of the at least one identification tagcomprises capturing a digital image of the at least one identificationtag.
 9. The method of claim 8, wherein capturing the image of the atleast one identification tag comprises identifying and extractinginformation defining the at least one identification tag; and convertingthe information into usable data.
 10. A method of reading with a readersystem at least one of at least one identification tag associated with asyringe, the method comprising: inserting a syringe into a syringe portassociated with a fluid injector such that at least one of the at leastone identification tags is positioned in a space between a protectivescreen of the reader system and a background screen of the readersystem; initiating a scan with the reader system of the at least oneidentification tag; capturing an image of the at least oneidentification tag against the background screen; decoding the at leastone identification tag; extracting information about at least oneparameter of at least one of the syringe and a medical fluid containedwithin the syringe; and sending the information to a control mechanismof the fluid injector.
 11. The method of claim 10, further comprisingturning on an illumination system to illuminate the background screenprior to initiating the scan with the reader system.
 12. The method ofclaim 11, further comprising focusing a lens of the reader system ontothe at least one identification tag.
 13. The method of claim 11, furthercomprising turning off the illumination system after decoding the atleast one identification tag.
 14. The method of claim 10, whereindecoding the at least one identification tag comprises using at leastone algorithm programmed in the reader system or in the injectorsoftware to extract the information about the at least one parameter.15. The method of claim 11, wherein turning on an illumination systemcomprises illuminating at least a portion of a surface of the backgroundscreen.
 16. The method of claim 10, wherein the at least one parametercomprises a digital signature for the syringe, the method furthercomprising enabling operation of the fluid injector when the at leastone identification tag associated with the syringe comprises a correctdigital signature.
 17. The method of claim 16, further comprisingnotifying a user that the syringe is not a correct syringe if thesyringe does not comprise the correct digital signature. The method ofclaim 16, further comprising disabling the fluid injector while thesyringe is inserted in the injector port if the syringe does notcomprise the correct digital signature.
 19. The method of claim 10,wherein capturing an image of the at least one identification tagagainst the background screen comprises capturing a digital image of theat least one identification tag